Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, one of the first festivals in a worldwide scale to explore the affinities between podcasts and cinema, is hosting once again its Podcast section, which has been crowned great with success, becoming an integral part of the Festival programme. In this year’s edition, marked by a record number of podcasts submitted, a total of 36 Greek-speaking and English-speaking podcasts take part, both in the Podcast Competition and the Nexus Section. The Podcast Competition includes 15 podcasts, which have their eyes set on the Best Podcast Award, accompanied by a 2,000-euro cash prize. The three-member Podcast Jury of the 26th TiDF is composed of Marianna Kakaounaki (journalist-documentarist), Dimitris Kanellopoulos (filmmaker) and Theodosis Michos (journalist, radio producer, podcaster, writer).
The audience will have the chance to listen to the 15 podcasts of the competition section in the specially configured venue of the Podcast Room (Thessaloniki Cinema Museum) for the entire duration of the Festival (7-17 March), on a daily basis from 10am to 8pm. In addition, all podcasts of the 26th TiDF will be available at the Festival’s platform (www.filmfestival.gr), as well as in many surprise locations within the Festival premises (Green Room, Warehouses A, C and D, among others) for the entire duration of the Festival, via QR code. Moreover, on Thursday March 14th (Green Room, 13:00), a special hearing will take place, featuring the podcast Hooligan Express, created by the non-profit journalistic organization iMEdD, which explores the roots of hooliganism-related violence, through a journey into the unknown world of football ultras.
Heart-wrenching and exciting personal testimonies, historical documents that come to light, recountings on iconic art and culture personalities, issues of women’s emancipation and gender-based oppression, tales for children, sci-fi stories that introduce us to distant worlds, podcasts of journalistic and sociological research, folklore traditions, customs and practices that resurface through unique sound journeys, take part in the Podcast section of the 26th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival.
In the 26th TiDF’s closing ceremony, the ENS Louis Lumière – French Institute of Greece Award for Upcoming Audio Documentary Creator, in collaboration with the ENS Louis Lumière and the French Institute of Greece, will be bestowed. All podcasters aged 25-35 years old, who took part in the 64th Thessaloniki International Film Festival and the 26th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival are eligible for the award. The winner will have the chance to attend the six-week Sound Documentary International Summer Programme hosted by ENS Louis Lumière, addressed to young and upcoming professionals of the audiovisual field (creators of blogs, podcasts or any other audio project). The ENS Louis Lumière – French Institute of Greece Award for Upcoming Audio Documentary Creator Jury is composed of: Yorgos Archimandritis (writer, radio and TV documentarist focused on art and culture, Greece) and Frédérique Pressman (documentarist, sound artist, France).
Let’s take a glance at the 26th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival podcasts:
Podcast Competition
A Story of Modern-Day Slavery
Creator: Fenia Chala. Script: Fenia Chala. Production: istorima. Sound engineering: Spyros Lymperopoulos. Sound editing: Spyros Lymperopoulos, Fenia Chala. Interviewee: Mohammed Boye Alhassan. Field Reporter: Evangelos Athanassiadis. Sound design: Yorgos Ramantanis. Language: English. Greece, 2023, 26’
When 17-year-old Boye had to flee Ghana, he was held captive by human traffickers and forced to work as a slave in various African and Arab countries. After surviving two years of torture and hardship, he managed to escape and made it to Greece, where he was granted refugee status.
Amorgos: Where I Belong
Creator: Charis Pagonidou. Script-Narration: Charis Pagonidou. Production: istorima. Sound engineering-Sound editing: Spyros Lymperopoulos. Sound design: Dimitris Patsaros. Supplementary recordings-Interviews: Athina Stampouli. Original music: Epidemic music. Language: Greek. Greece, 2023, 29’
Istorima Reversed is a podcast series that links "istorima" researchers to the interviewees they have encountered. In this episode, Athina engages in conversations with Diego, Thodoris, and her mother, Madalena. Each of them came to Amorgos for different reasons but with a common desire: to find where they belong.
Daughters of Silence
Creator: Despina Sotiropoulou. Script-Production: Despina Sotiropoulou. Sound engineering-Sound editing: Antonis Gasparinatos. Narration: Despina Sotiropoulou, Dimitra Hatoupi (poem by Nikos Engonopoulos), Vana Pefani. Language: Greek. Greece, 2023, 28’
Gender-based violence and femicide in a documentary audio documentary. An investigation on the high rates of abuse and murder of women in recent years, which contradicts the romantic idealism of the poet Nikos Engonopoulos, in his work Hymn to the Glory of the Women We Love.
Despo Maroulakou: not an ordinary woman
Creators: Maria Koufopoulou, Maria Chatzigianni (for WIFT GR). Production: WIFT GR, Maria Chatzigianni. Script-Narration: Maria Koufopoulou. Sound engineering-Sound editing: Maria Chatzigianni. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 30’
Despo Maroulakou was the first woman to ever work in post editing in Greek films; a truly unique personality, in a unique podcast for WIFT GR.
Eddie Dark: What Do I Do with the Flowers Now?
Creator: Andreas Pappas. Script: Andreas Pappas, Nikolas Petsitis. Production: istorima. Sound engineering-Sound editing: Andreas Pappas. Sound design-Sound mixing: Yorgos Ramantanis. Narration-Visual identity: Nikolas Petsitis. Language: Greek. Greece, 2023, 27’
A girl leads Nikolas to discover his love for music. Their relationship becomes a thing of the past and Nikolas becomes Eddie. Now he will use music to win her back. A tragicomic story full of love, fake blood, and flowers.
Faethon Never Existed
Creators: Maya Filippopoulou, Effrosyni Kyriazi. Script-Sound editing: Maya Filippopoulou. Sound engineering: Dimitris Papadakis. Sound design: Iasonas Theofanou. Interviewee: Dimitris Mitsatsos. Research: Renata Kotti Dobrets. Visual identity: Panos Manolitsis. Language: Greek. Greece, 2023, 24’
The gripping story of the secret mission carried out by the Greek warship "Phaethon", which was sent to Cyprus in 1964. The mission remained top secret for 52 years.
Her Daughter
Creators: Danai Dragonea, Dafni Anesti. Script: Danai Dragonea, Dafni Anest. Production: Kathe Mia Istoria. Sound engineering-Sound editing: Nicholas Kazazis. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 21’
Set in a small town, Rodoula struggles throughout her life to ensure that her daughter, who suffers from intellectual disability, becomes independent and has her own autonomous path. From continuous interventions, school years, to the anxiety of finding her daughter a job, we are led to the first car ride when she manages to obtain her driver's license. The story of Rodoula and her daughter is a tale of love and female resilience.
IC62
Creator: Ioanna Tsoucala. Script-Sound editing: Ioanna Tsoucala. Production: BURNT RUSHES FILMS, Ioanna Tsoucala. Sound engineering: Leandros Ntounis. Original music: Nikos Ravious / Nikos Vavouliotis. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 22’
IC62 is an audio documentary that takes us on a journey just before and just after the train accident. A fictional passenger moves in and out of the train wagons as conversations on the radios guide the trains toward the collision. A few days later, the news is forgotten amidst the radio waves.
Listen to the River
Creator: Natasha Blatsiou. Script-Sound engineering: Natasha Blatsiou. Production: Tzinda docs, Natasha Blatsiou. Sound editing-Original music: Petros Stamelos. Interviewees: Thanassis Stagoyannis, Yorgos Vassiotis, Stefanos Vassiotis, Keti Grigoratou, Yorgos Tsiloyannis, Panos Apostolinas, Vassilis Nitsiakos, Vassiliki Nitsiakou, Stavros Kotoulas, Aspa Skaperda, Panagiota Kouskou, Frangitsa Vassioti. Post-production: Myrto Tikov. Language: Greek. Greece, 2023, 22’
The narrative brings together three generations on a journey along the Aoos River and its tributary, Sarantaporos. The flow of water meanders through the nostalgic countryside, civil war memories and the existential anxiety of the younger generation amidst concerns about dam construction plans and the potential desolation of villages.
Minimal
Creator: Ira Katsouda. Script-Production-Narration: Ira Katsouda. Sound engineering-Sound editing: Dionysis Antypas. Graphic design: Angela Patsiada. Language: Greek. Greece, 2023, 28’
Welcome to Minimal! The most minimalistic game, without sets, without lavish prizes, without even visuals! An audio game that thrives in a world where visuals take precedence. In each episode, a different player tries to find answers to a wide range of audio questions, spanning from general knowledge to history, with only the host and logic as opponents. The most straightforward and entertaining (definitely for the host) game, with chef Gogo Delogianni as the guest in this particular episode.
Second Chance
Creator: Constantinos Vrettos. Script: Constantinos Vrettos, Antonis Papavomvolakis. Production: Music Row Studio, Constantinos Vrettos. Sound engineering-Sound editing: Antonis Papavomvolakis. Narration: Constantinos Vrettos. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 21’
The long journey of life is sometimes turned upside down. When fate decided to cut the thread of life from the people in Karditsa, Kythira and Tempi, the only thing that could stop it was humanity. The humanity of those who changed their destiny and gave them a second chance.
Sunday’s Advent
Creator: Andreas Vagias. Script-Narration: Andreas Vagias. Production: Alexis Anastasiadis, Frenel. Sound engineering-Sound editing: Aris Athanassopoulos. Music mixing: Konstantinos Tsiolis. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 30’
Memories and reminiscences from the day-long participatory activity of the homonymous event set up during Sunday’s rest. In mythic Eleusis, the ecumenical location where seasons alternate, people’s traces collide with factories’ funnels, Advent interacts with Sunday, observing the day’s transition.
The Alphabet of Consent
Creator: Maria Louka. Production: Diotima Center (in collaboration with News 247). Script: Maria Louka. Sound engineering-Sound editing: Thanassis Kotoulas. Original music: Pavlina Katsi. Narration: Maria Louka, Katerina Antzoulatou (narration of testimonies), Irini Georgi, Anna Vouyouka (speakers). Content advisor: Natassa Kefallinou. Language: Greek. Greece, 2023, 29’
A podcast about consent as the sole criterion for defining rape and sexual violence, but also about the need to establish consent as a fundamental principle of relationality and communication, in order to form healthy and equal relationships, where all can enjoy love and sexuality.
The Souvlaki Project
Creator: Nalia Zikou. Script: Sofia Gourgouliani. Production-Narration: Nalia Zikou. Language: Greek, English. Greece, 2024, 26’
The Souvlaki Project takes us to the Greek islands to explore the experience of the country through tourism. Two Greek women working on the island and two American women in love create a narrative that revolves around a souvlaki to deal, ultimately, with what binds us to a place.
Wounded by the Invasion…! [1974-2024]
Creator: Matthaios Frantzeskakis. Script: Matthaios Frantzeskakis. Production: Crete Cultural Organization, Matthaios Frantzeskakis. Sound engineering-Sound editing: Kostas Kosmadakis. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 25’
They had a calm everyday life that fifty years ago changed within a few hours. Since then they live with the images of that time dominating their daily lives. Since then they live... with the wounds open..! Aspects of these wounds we share with our protagonists…
Nexus Section
All the Things We Didn’t Get to Say
Creator: Sofia Mpletsou. Script-Production-Sound engineering: Sofia Mpletsou. Sound editing: Nikos Kotsikonas. Narration: Sofia Mpletsou, Fotini Timotheou, Maria Tzelepi, Dimitra Beroiki, Yorgos Zisis Mplionis, Katerina Tsakoumi, Lena Gantia, Xanthi Tsatsampa, Hara Voura, Lamprini Mperouki, Lola (Theodora) Melidou, Georgia Tina. Visual identity: Kalliopi Kanteraki. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 23’
In a world where the father kills the mother and the mother kills the child, there are still tender words hidden in letters, which may never be sent to the parents... People of different ages write a letter to the father or the mother with all the things they would like to have said.
Beethoven’s Genes
Creator: Glykeria Samolada. Script-Production-Sound editing-Narration: Glykeria Samolada. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 20’
At the magical premiere of his 9th Symphony in 1824, Ludwig van Beethoven had to be prompted by his partner to turn around and see the standing ovation behind him, as he could no longer hear the enthusiastic applause from the audience. What caused Beethoven's deafness? Which genes may have been connected with, influenced or perhaps even “written” his life story, and along with it the history of music?
Can Happiness Be Prescribed?
Creators: Evangelia Savvidou, Panayotis Paraskevopoulos, Ioannis Yaliotos, Emmanouil Smyrnakis. Script: Evangelia Savvidou, Panayotis Paraskevopoulos. Sound engineering-Sound editing: Ioannis Yaliotos. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 20’
What is happiness? An emotion, an abstract concept, or science? Two young doctors with a special interest in public health discuss happiness, the factors that determine it, ways it can be enhanced and collectively measured, and they attempt to answer the question Can Happiness Be Prescribed?.
Canadian Diaries
Creator: Camilla Bouchet. Script-Production-Sound engineering-Sound editing-Narration: Camilla Bouchet. Language: English. France, 2024, 20’
The podcast Canadian Diaries is inspired from my notes when I was a stay-at-home mom with two small children in a small Canadian town. It was a very eventful phase of my life, but also very contemplative. I would see and meet a lot of people across the city: mothers, children, people participating in the city's many rehab programs for drug addicts, homeless youth, newcomers, dancers... Even if these encounters were very brief they still echo in my life and had a strong impact on me. If we really try to see and listen to each other could this bring more meaning to our lives?
Colobro
Creator: Konstantina Stavropoulou. Production: Sonic Orb, Konstantina Stavropoulou. Sound engineering-Sound editing-Original music: Konstantina Stavropoulou. Narration: Diamantis Adamantidis. Cover photo: Stelios Papardelas. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 20’
Two profound human emotions, fear and futility. The story of a man who let fear dictate his life's course, yet never ignored the allure of the abyss. A sea-themed tale based on the almost century-old narrative by Italian writer Dino Buzzati.
Damsel in Distress
Creator: Evdoxia Karakatsi. Script-Production-Sound engineering-Sound editing-Narration: Evdoxia Karakatsi. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 23’
Damsel in distress or femme fatale? Innocent Cinderella or sensual Salome? Let's talk about female stereotypes in fairy tales and art!
Does a Tradition Fade in Time?
Creator: Sofia Eirini Sopiadou. Script-Production-Sound engineering-Sound editing-Original Music: Sofia Eirini Sopiadou. Production assistant: Gina Georgiadou. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 23’
People that brought new customs and their unique colors of life in Greece are now lost in the passing of time. Their successors are also getting older and older. Does the tradition fade over time? Pontic Greeks from different refugee generations are expressing their opinions on whether the tradition will extinguish in the future, recalling their memories of what it is to be brought up as a Pontic Greek.
Fade Out
Creator: Prodromos Tarasis. Script-Narration: Yota Zagana. Production Coordination: Angelos Athanassopoulos. Sound engineering-Sound editing: Angelos Kontaxis. Original music: Stelios Vassiloudis. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 23’
Health care professionals are used to dealing with death. While they may never forget their first experience of a patient dying, the 'struggle' between retaining compassion and staying detached is harsh. Feelings of self doubt, helplessness, guilt, or failure is their core narrative. Is grief shameful and unprofessional though?
Growing Up Under the Axis Powers
Creator: Christos Georgoudakis. Script-Narration: Christos Georgoudakis. Production: istorima. Sound editing: Spyros Lymperopoulos. Sound design-Sound mixing: Dimitris Paleoyannis. Original music: Myrto Nizami. Field reporters: Christos Georgoudakis, Evryklia Tsalouhidou. Interviewee: Fanoula Tsikerdanou Boukouvala. Cover Art/Design: HØLY. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 25’
Fanoula grows up in Veria, a city in the Greek north, when the first Italian aircrafts appear in the sky. How are children affected by a world that changes around them? The story of Fanoula is the beginning of a six-episode long audio journey, which explores childhood in an occupied land.
Invisible Women: Roxandra Stourtza
Creator: Anastasia Koumidou. Script: Anastasia Koumidou. Production: National Historical Museum / MAGMA, with the funding of the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation. Sound engineering: Victor Mastela. Sound editing: Theodore Lotis, Victor Mastela. Narration: Electra Gennata, Spyros Stamoulis, Thanassis Halkias, Anastasia Koumidou. Original music: Theodore Lotis. Language: Greek. Greece, 2023, 30’
The philhellene Roxandra Stourtza-Edling (1786-1844), mostly known for her unfulfilled love with Ioannis Capodistria, has been a vigorously active woman, clairvoyant, a confidant of the Tsar Alexander I and an avid benefactor of Greece. She established schools and took a vocal stance on the issues of aid, tender care, sheltering and education during the Greek War of Independence.
Journalism Without Innuendo
Creator: Gina Georgiadou. Script-Production-Sound editing-Narration: Gina Georgiadou. Sound engineering: Alexis Fourkas Georgiadis. Research: Gina Georgiadou, Chryssa Kontaraki. Original music: Yperastikoi. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 30’
Journalism without innuendo investigates the chronicle of the lawsuit brought by an executive of the company Ellinikos Xrysos against journalist Stavroula Poulimeni and the collaborative media venture Alterthess, who covered the struggle of Halkidiki residents against the mining project in Skouries, claiming that the General Data Protection Regulation was violated.
Line 57: Claiming our space inside the city bus and bus drivers' psychoanalysis
Creator: Georgia Orfanidou. Script-Sound engineering-Sound editing: Georgia Orfanidou. Original music: Eleni Mavropoulou. Interviewee: Iliana Pegiou. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 30’
In the Kiss My Oasth podcast I talk with my friends about our experiences and traumas inside the OASTH buses. In this particular episode, I talk with Iliana about how we claim our space inside the suffocatingly full buses and we psychoanalyze the drivers.
Mega Stories: Greek Citizenship Stories
Creator: Konstantinos Frangopoulos. Script: Dora Anagnostopoulou. Production: Mega TV. Sound engineering: Vassilis Gkionakis. Sound editing: Alexandros Alevras, Afroditi Tavri. Research: Iliana Danezi. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 27΄
Greece: The country with its many and varied children, some of which it embraces while others it does not recognize as its own. Many of them may differ in color, origin, habits, but they all dream under the same sky. In this podcast, a platform is given to those who claim Greek citizenship at the same time that they are faced with constraints that make it difficult to realize a dream: that of equal inclusion in society.
Modern Frankenstein
Creators: Theodora Tsakiridi, George Kamtziridis. Script: Theodora Tsakiridi. Sound engineering-Sound editing-Original music: George Kamtziridis. Narration: Theodora Tsakiridi, George Kamtziridis. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 27’
Frankenstein awoke. An idea flickered in his mind, giving birth to a new monster, crafted from the remnants of the emotional graveyard. A man takes his own life, and a woman discovers the notes found by the police. This unfolds as a confessional monologue from an ambitious scientist burdened by the impending dystopia he has set in motion.
POLISTORIES. Speaking of homelands: Vlassis Caniaris and migration
Creator: Katerina Zachu. Production-Script-Narration: Katerina Zachu. Sound Engineering-Sound Editing: Menios Exioglou. Original music: Nikos Kapantzakis. Visual identity: Maita Chatziioannidou & loopo studio. Text editing: Stavroula Tsiara. Website management: Fotini Patinari. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 27’
Vlassis Caniaris and his headless dummies with suitcases. Changing the artistic landscape during the years of emigration. A tour of the countries of central Europe and Greece in the post-war period. Starting from emigration, Kaniaris redefines the relationship between the North and the South.
Sound Haiku: Sonic Attempts in the Poetic Universe of Haiku
Creator: Chrysa Pantazi. Production: Maria Baziakou. Script-Sound engineering-Sound editing-Narration: Chrysa Pantazi. Language: Greek. Greece, 2023, 25’
Composition of original sound works based on the principles, standards and values of the Japanese haiku poetry and study of the creative process from a technical and aesthetic point of view. Haiku is characterized by the short structure of three verses and the strict thematic requirement of presenting a moment in nature. In the case of the sound poem, the naturalness and materiality of the work evolves the form without undermining conformity to the spirit and form of this unique artistic idiom.
Tech Talk: Does Technology Have Gender?
Creator: Antonis Faras. Script: Workers’ Cooperative Sociality. Production: Workers’ Cooperative Sociality (with the support of the Heinrich Böll Foundation Greece. Sound engineering-Sound editing-Original music: Diamantis Anastasiadis. Language: Greek. Greece, 2023, 30’
TechTalk's episode Does Technology Have Gender? delves into the intricate relationship between technology and gender. It features experts, discussing topics ranging from gender's influence on technological design to the symbolic role of technology in shaping gender norms. The podcast critically examines historical and contemporary perspectives, encouraging listeners to reflect on their own experiences with technology from a gendered viewpoint.
The Issue with Time
Creators: Maro Pantazidou, Paris Selinas. Script-Narration: Maro Pantazidou. Production: Whatever Productions. Aris Dorizas (with the support of the Heinrich Böll Foundation Greece. Sound engineering-Sound editing: Manolis Mazokopos. Original music: Sonny Touch (Dimitris Tatsis). Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 26’
And you, what's your issue with time? This podcast presents a participatory exploration of the modern tragedy of everyday time. Confessions, testimonies and reflections set-up the landscape for us to wonder : And if time is not money, then what is it?
The Lives of Others - Underdog: The Story of a World Champion
Creator: Vassilis Zambikos. Script: Vassilis Zambikos, Eleftheria Paleologou. Production-Sound engineering-Sound editing: Vassilis Zambikos. Original music: Antonis Chatzikonstantis, Vassilis Zambikos. Narration: Eleftheria Paleologou. Language: Greek. Greece, 2023, 30’
An audio documentary about the life of Eleftheria Paleologou, Greek champion, gold medal winner at the Acropolis Cup and bronze medal winner at the Women's European Championship. A journey from the pool house to the gym and from the bars at Santorini to the European Championship.
The Tank Jenny and the Castle (Bite-sized History)
Creator: Apostolos Markos Kostoulis. Script-Narration: Apostolos Markos Kostoulis. Production: Larissa Municipal Radio, Apostolos Markos Kostoulis. Sound engineering-Sound editing: Konstantinos Tiganis. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 22’
Three days before the end of WW2, the tragicomic rescue of a bunch of French celebrities by the most unlikely group: a handful of Americans and a few former Axis troops, turned Austrian resistance. Bite-Sized History presents real, unknown historical events and biographies, through a satirical narration.
Who Needs Film Critics These Days?
Creator: Nikolaos Aletras. Script-Production-Sound engineering-Sound editing-Narration: Nikolaos Aletras. Guest star: Dimitris Koliodimos. Language: Greek. Greece, 2024, 22’
Film review that is expressed through texts written by (mainly) specialized journalists involves the crucial issue of the evaluation of a film. Which film is good, which is bad? Which are the specific criteria that will award the audiovisual work its artistic aura and which are the ones that will put it on the other side? And finally, who is the film critic, that self-appointed judge or award-giver? What is his role in contemporary audiovisual production and, above all, what will be his place in the near future? These are the questions that the podcast titled Who Needs Film Critics These Days? tries to explore.
Special Hearing
Hooligan Express
Thursday March 14th, 13.00, Green Room
From the 80s until nowadays and from Nea Filadelfia to Zagreb, a journey into the unknown world of football ultras. Hooligan Express, a sound documentary created by the non-profit journalistic organization iMEdD, will be showcased as part of a special hearing at the 26th TiDF. The podcast is based on research that lasted several months, starting from the fatal injury of Michalis Katsouris and up until the assassination of policeman Yorgos Lingeridis. The special hearing will be followed by a Q&A with the podcaster Kostas Koukoumakas (journalist, iMEdD), Panayotis Menegos (journalist, iMEdD Podcasts Content and Production Manager), George Schinas (journalist, iMEdD) and the journalist Yorgos Toulas (Parallaxi)
Research-Script-Narration: Kostas Koukoumakas, Panayotis Menegos, George Schinas. Sound design-Sound mixing: Aris Athanassopoulos. Illustration: Evgenios Kalofolias.
